EPIC FAIL

Back side of the Western world.

There are a lot of things the medical industry is proud of, most of it at the top of the feeding chain.

The Australian program, 'RPA' showcases the most fantastic surgical achievements.

On the British program, 'An Hour to Save Your Life' you'll witness the most extra-ordinary medical interventions in the frontline of trauma and emergency medicine - even to the point of performing open heart surgery to bring an accident victim on the pavement back to life.

At the general practice level you can see extra-ordinary medicine being practiced on the British TV program 'Embarrassing Bodies' where general practitioners reveal their expertise in dealing with medical problems.

But while 'Embarrassing Bodies' show cases the very best of general practice medicine, generally speaking, the story at the parish level is quite different.

And, as an aside I'm the proud recipient of medical care that has saved my life.

The reason is that a large proportion of people are presenting at doctors' surgeries, not with medical problems but with the symptoms of personally-generated body system dysfunctions driven by low levels of physical fitness, dietary excess (and insufficiency) and a lack of personal development training.

And if the diagnostic regimes that the medical industry uses to determine the underlying causes of personally-generated body system dysfunctions are inadequate, the treatment is also usually inadequate. Pharmaceutical treatments are prescribed to mask symptoms rather than lifestyle treatments designed to restore poor function to good.

We're living in the age of junk medicine.

As a result the medical industry at the general practice level is leaving in its wake a litany of epic failures.

These days, if you're interested in your own health, likely as not you'll turn to Drs Google and Youtube where you'll find homespun remedies people are using to improve their health.

There's been an epic fail in getting people to eat less of the food that's bad for them and more of the food that's good for them, lay off the grog and quit smoking.

Under medical oversight, small, personally-generated body system dysfunctions have become large problems that end up in specialists rooms and operating theatres due to poor diagnostic and treatment regimes.

Under the auspices of the medical industry, the simple has become complicated, the transparent opaque and the cheap expensive.

THE BLINKERS ARE ON

The medical treatment of personally-generated body system dysfunctions has been perverted by

Rarely if ever are they prescribed a supervised diet and exercise program that has them restore poor health to good - at least one that works, has people administer it themselves in the 'dosage' that has positive outcomes and objectively monitor the outcomes.

Rarely, if ever are they directed to nutritional supplements - vitamins, minerals, nutraceuticals and herbs that will in all likelihood improve metabolic function.

People have been led to believe that their 'doctor knows best' when in fact the advice they can search for on the internet themselves may be better and safer. The internet is a mighty powerful resource or finding out what other people did to solve their health problems. Doctor does not know everything.

The advice people get from a fitness practitioner, dietary advisor, naturopath or a counsellor may have better outcomes that what they'll get from a surgery.

Rarely, if ever will people come away from a surgery with a sheet of information or access to a  down-loadable booklet that will outline the doctor's personal insight into the nature of their problem and what they, themselves can do to fix it. The only information they have access to is what's in the doctor's head at the time. The only piece of paper they receive is a note to the chemist.

Rarely, if ever will they be directed to the doctor's book, video and audio file store - either in the surgery or the doctor's website.

Rarely, if ever will they be given a prescription for the local heath food (or online) store to purchase the nutritional supplement or nutraceutical.

In Australia health advice appears to be cheap - ie the Government pays for the full cost of 80% of consultations. This makes the health advice and ongoing practical support from fitness centres (in the form of a membership), dieticians, naturopaths and counsellors or from personal development courses appear to be expensive. Guess where most people are likely to go for advice? And guess what they're likely to come away with?

But if you join a fitness centre you have access to a fitness practitioner just about every day of the year

In both the government and public mind the word 'health' is usually code for the word 'medical'. The medical industry is poorly qualified to provide people with advice on how to keep themselves fit and healthy. Only on the rarest of occasions can you treat fitness and diet problems with a drug.

OPEN THE DOORS OF PERCEPTION

The doors of perception about what people can do to attain and maintain peak health have been closed to the point where the best advice most doctors can give their customers is a couple of words on a pad.

In a high proportion of cases, when doctors reach for the pad you know a symptom is likely to be masked, rather than poor health restored to good - all under the guise of 'preventive health'. But you don't prevent health, you promote it, and build it yourself. And when you look around you know the chances of getting that advice in a surgery or a chemist shop are quite remote.

Too frequently medical intervention stands outside the process that takes place when people attain and maintain themselves in good health.

There is a compelling case for the elevation of the fitness industry into the front line of primary health care.

So, don't ask what your doctor can do for you, ask what you can do for yourself. If you need health advice, don't forget to include your fitness practitioner, naturopath, dietician and counsellor in the health information loop.

7 Salvado Place, Stirling ACT 2611 Australia

(02) 6288 7703